The Confrontation
by EsTeLweNadia
Summary: "You are KID, aren't you, Kuroba Kaito," Edogawa Conan had said flatly. A simple statement that led to an unexpected friendship between the two. KID and Detective, Kaito and Conan/Shinichi. UPDATED! Chapter 5 - The Confrontation: Kaito and Ai.
1. The Confrontation: Kaito and Conan

**Title**: The Confrontation

**By**: EsTeLweNadia

**Summary**: "You are KID, aren't you, Kuroba Kaito," Edogawa Conan had said flatly. It wasn't a question. He was absolutely sure that Kaito was really the Kaitou KID, the Phantom Thief.

**Rating**: Friendship

**Disclaimer**: Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

**Author's Note**: I have always wanted Conan to meet Kaito, and confront him about KID. And it isn't fair that KID knows Conan's true identity, and Conan doesn't know KID's alter ego. And so sorry, this is really an unplanned fic. I will really get to the Saving the Detective – Chapter TWO right after this one.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Hope you'll enjoy the ride!

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><p>"<em>You are KID, aren't you, Kuroba Kaito-san," Edogawa Conan had said flatly. It wasn't a question. He was absolutely sure that Kaito was really Kaitou KID, the Phantom Thief. It showed in his intense eyes, on the young face. And all Kaito could do was to stare at the faux-child, flummoxed and frozen, akin to a deer caught in the headlights, thoughts racing and crashing against each other in mindless panic.<em>

Kaito really, really dreaded the moment when anyone came up to him and confidently accused him of being KID.

Not that they were wrong, but he rather swam with the creatures of the water than to admit the truth. He might as well slap a neon sticker on his forehead declaring 'I'm KID. Arrest me now!"

No way.

Bad enough Hakuba SUSPECTED him of being KID, but thank goodness for lack of concrete evidence, the blond detective could not do anything more to have him cuffed and thrown behind bars.

Oh, and Akako, the creepily beautiful chick from his class who happened to be a creepy witch of sorts, KNEW he is KID, and worse, she was attracted to him for all the creepy, wrong reasons. Good thing he had Aoko around.

Aoko. She hated KID, and it was in her best interests that she didn't know that Kaito is KID. Aoko would hate him too, and Kaito didn't want her to hate him.

What a pain.

But that wasn't so bad. What he feared most (other than those THINGS) was a certain kid detective who wasn't really a kid, to boldly approach him and ask him the dreaded question.

In his turf, mind you. Right in his very district.

Ekoda High School was having a huge fair for charity, with lots of stalls being set up by students selling various items or showcasing their talents to the public. It was a major event, so much so it was even broadcasted in the television and the newspapers. Of course, Kaito took this opportunity to show off his exceptional capability as a magician, and so far, his performances received the most visitors, and hence, donations.

He was feeling pretty damn good of himself, until a murder happened within the fair. Chaos ensued, and the arrival of the police clearly spoiled the day rotten. Especially his mood. That couldn't be helped, because police made him all kinds of twitchy. So he managed to escape to higher grounds, away from the mess. It was time for him to take a break, anyway.

The case was solved faster than he thought possible. Swift, concise, precise. And Kaito had a strange notion that the police had additional help. Additional INTELLIGENT help. Couldn't be Hakuba. That twit had left for London. Again. Man, no fun at all! Maybe, the Savior of the Police?

_Nah_, Kaito shot the thought down as soon as it surfaced. _Beika is miles away from here. Why would he be here?_

But then again, he should have known. The ONLY person he knew whom stumbled into murder cases practically everywhere he went, was Kudo Shinichi, now known as Edogawa Conan. Seemed that becoming a kid physically again didn't break the curse. And the only person he knew whom was able to solve said murder cases within the same day they happened, was ironically, also the very same detective.

Also, during one of his performances, he had a disturbing feeling that he had been watched. Scrutinized and analyzed by a pair of sharp, critical eyes. They had no sense of malice, not even a murderous intent, but it was so thorough Kaito jerked and almost ruined the trick he was showing his audience. And Kaito never, ever fumbled in his performances.

He hadn't been able to pinpoint who, because the place was dark and he was busy. But he really should have known that the only person who could make him react that badly was again, the detective.

And now, the above-mentioned annoying shrunken teenager was looking expectantly at him. Unwavering piercing blue gaze, thinly amused smirk, casually indifferent stance.

"What makes you think that I am the famous Phantom Thief, little boy?" Kaito asked in return, curiously playing dumb. He was an accomplished performer; he knew how to handle this. How to act, how to pretend the he was something he was not when he was actually it.

As he had expected, Conan-kun scowled briefly at his 'little boy' remark. What he didn't expect was Conan-kun to take a seat beside him and to stare into space for awhile.

"It is quite hard to explain, considering that I have no concrete evidence to prove that you are indeed KID," he said at last, sounding nothing like the little boy he was. "But I know, I KNOW that you are him. It may be just a hunch, but my instincts are never wrong."

_Dead-on accurate, just like his mind_, Kaito thought with a slight shudder. Arching his eyebrow, he waited patiently for the diminutive detective to continue.

"Say, Kuroba," started Conan-kun softly. "If you are asked to put on KID's uniform, would you do it?"

Startled by the strangeness of the question, Kaito could only gape at him.

"Of course not," Conan-kun huffed, answering his own question. "Because if you put it on, you'll look so much like KID. But that isn't a surprise, because you ARE KID. Can't you see? You and he are around the same height. Both of you have the SAME eyes, the same SMIRK. Muted now that you are not the world-renowned thief, but when you are, it just increases tenfold. And then, there's the hair, too. Both of you have unruly hair, even covered by the top white hat. So it's KID's uniform that sets both of you apart, but only JUST barely."

"Hey!" Kaito protested indignantly. "I may look like KID, but that doesn't mean I'm him! I'm his biggest fan!" He announced quite proudly, attempting to distract the detective, only to have succeeded in making it worse.

"You might be KID's biggest fan, Kuroba, but in all of his heists, you are NEVER there," Conan-kun countered, smirking. "Don't look at me like that; I overheard some of your schoolmates talking. There are some cases that you were there BEFORE or AFTER the heists, or both, but DURING the heists, where were you? You disappeared, KID appeared. Kinda… FISHY, don't you think?"

Oh boy. Kaito did his damndest not to flinch at the word relating to his phobia. Conan-kun could not have known of his deepest fear, could he?

"Aw, don't give me that crap," Kaito remarked dismissively. "Maybe I had someplace to go, people to see during KID's heists…"

"Aw, don't give me that crap," the faux-child mimicked him, grinning victoriously. "Maybe you had, but definitely not in EVERY of KID's heists, right? And if you are his biggest fan, you surely wouldn't want to miss a thing, or even a second of the heists. Who are you trying to fool? Conan disappears; Shinichi appears, even if it is only his voice. So yeah, you are not fooling anyone. Definitely not me."

_Apparently, nothing gets past by the detective_, Kaito realized ruefully_. Besides, it is only fair that he knows my identity, because I know his_.

"So what are you going to do now?" Kaito asked, seemingly in impassive resignation. "Find THE evidence, inform the police and throw KID behind bars?"

Conan-kun shot him a dark look. "You know that if I want to, I will find it, and I can." That, Kaito had no doubt. He had seen the detective's prowess in deduction, in investigation and in his determination to unravel mysteries, even with only a couple of clues. His heart thudded painfully in his chest as he braced himself for the worst.

"But…" Conan-kun trailed off, his usually unforgiving features softening a little, "the fact is, I don't want to. I just want to know who is hiding behind the monocle, and I'll leave it at that."

"Why?"

A light sigh, and the young boy with a not-so-young personality turned away. Light from the setting sun glinted off his ridiculously huge glasses, effectively obscuring his eyes, and somehow, Kaito found it rather disturbing.

"You know my identity, Kuroba Kaito-san," Conan-kun said softly. "And you still haven't told anyone. Why?"

Kaito scowled. "I hate it when my question is answered with a question. Don't you?"

"Don't anyone?" came the sly response, eyes twinkling mirthfully.

Kaito rolled his eyes. If they kept at it, they would be heading nowhere. Meanwhile, time was happily ticking away. "I am VERY sure you know why."

"I think I do," Conan-kun said thoughtfully. "And I think we both have somewhat similar reason for it to remain a secret."

Kaito kept Conan's secret a secret because he wanted to know how and why such a genius detective was reduced to a mere gradeschooler. It was mind-boggling, almost ridiculous, but it was still true. He had nothing against Conan-kun, although the little brat ruined his plans every time, but that just made the heists even more interesting. He was even surprised himself to know that he actually CARED for his toughest adversary, to the point that he frequently sent Hato -the dove Conan-kun had saved in the Memories Egg heist- to check on the chibi Tantei. So far, Conan-kun had been coping amazingly well. Besides, Kaito wouldn't want to eliminate the most exciting aspect of KID's heist. The chase. The challenge. The thrill. The fun. KID's heists without the brilliance of the Detective of the East, were akin to the moon obscured by the clouds. And KID loved the radiance of the moon, being the Moonlight Magician and all that. The brighter, the better!

Furthermore, both of them owed each other favors. That was also one of the reasons why he blabbed anything to anyone, and the detective never made an attempt to arrest him, even after foiling his plans. Yet.

"I know KID has a reason to be KID," Conan-kun told him anyway. "Official challenge to the police, a very public venue to steal a very valuable gem, preferably from a very famous individual, with as many people involved as possible. KID is trying to draw someone out in the open. I think the person might be the very same person who murdered the first KID. So all these heists, stunts and tricks? Are probably just a ploy. So yes, I will let KID have his funs and games until he accomplish what he had become KID for."

"And after he has accomplished his objective, would you have him arrested, Conan-kun?" asked Kaito casually. He HAD to know. Never mind that Conan's deduction on the reason on why he had become KID was terrifyingly accurate.

"And get rid of the most exciting part of my life yet?" the kid interjected cheerfully. "No way."

The way Conan-kun echoed the sentence from his own thoughts was so EERIE. Coincidence, or was that kid telepathic? Kaito didn't want to know.

And now that his identity as KID was no longer a secret, at least, not to the detective, Kaito had a very strange urge to try something. Maybe, maybe…

"Tantei-kun," he addressed the little Tantei just as KID would. Conan-kun snapped his head up and around to stare at him. "What would you say if we meet, not as KID and Detective, but as me and you? There is much I want to talk about with you."

Conan-kun studied him carefully. And again, the young face softened. Understanding dawned in his eyes, and a tiny smile appeared. Kaito frowned slightly, perplexed by the sudden change he saw in the shrunken teenager. Oh boy. Maybe the detective had somehow sensed the loneliness in Kaito. His longing for a FRIEND whom he didn't have to hide anything from. It must have showed in his tone, and even his eyes. He was Kaito now, not KID. So Poker Face wasn't needed.

"Likewise, Kuroba," Conan-kun said, grinning up at him. "Just let me know when and where, and I'll be there."

Kaito matched the grin with one of his own. "Excellent, and thank you."

"Not necessary," Conan-kun told him dismissively as he rose to his feet. He glanced at his watch, frowning. "My, it's getting late. I better get going now. See you soon, Kuroba. It's a pleasure knowing you." With a wink and a wave, the detective turned around and walked away, leaving Kaito in befuddled silence.

_It's a pleasure knowing you._ As KID and as Kuroba Kaito. Kaito smiled, catching on the words left unsaid. Well, it's a pleasure knowing Kudo Shinichi as the great Detective of the East, and the vivacious little boy, Edogawa Conan. He was really glad the feeling was mutual.

And he was really looking forward to meeting Conan-kun as himself, Kuroba Kaito, Ekoda High School student, teenage magician.

Maybe they could even be best of friends. Best friends in the day, toughest rivals at night.

Sounds pretty cool, don't you think?

- The End? -

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><p>Sounds AWESOME, if you ask me. ^^<p>

Wondering if I should make this a multi-chapter. Hmm. *nervous*

I had intended this to be a one-shot, but look at how it turned out!

And I just couldn't think of a better title. *unhappily*

Erm, anyway, thank you so much for reading! ^^


	2. The Confrontation: Kaito and Ran

**Chapter 2: **The Confrontation: Kaito and Ran

**Disclaimer:** Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

**Rating:** Angst/Friendship

**Author's Note:** I believe it would be very interesting if those two are to meet. Because Kaito looks so much like Shinichi, and it will definitely affect Ran. And when Ran is affected, so is Shinichi. Thank you very much for waiting and for the continuous support!

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Now buckle up your seatbelts, everyone. Hope you'll enjoy the ride!

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><p>- <em>A week later<em> –

Conan yawned sleepily, eyes blurry, thoughts sluggish. Morning already? Felt like he had closed his eyes barely half an hour ago. He glanced blearily at the alarm clock. It was just a little past nine.

It was Saturday, and he usually slept in on Saturdays. Conan wasn't sure what woke him up.

Until he heard a light but persistent _tap tap tap_ on the bedroom window.

He glanced over at the still-sleeping Sleeping Detective, then swung his gaze back to the window.

_Tap tap tap._

The sound was very soft; he had to strain to hear over the outrageously loud snores from the occupant on the bed. He frowned, thinking. What was tapping outside the window? Inadvertently, his eyes caught sight of the dreamcatcher hanging by Ojisan's bed.

Gears churned and turned in his head, his mind working furiously.

Dreamcatcher. KID. Hato.

Hato. KID did mention that he would sometimes send Hato to check up on him. Could it be that –?

Conan threw his blankets aside and rose to his feet. Silently he padded his way past the bed and to the window. He ducked behind the long dark green curtains and then stopped, grinning smugly to himself.

Because, perching on the windowsill on the other side, was Hato. As soon as the dove saw Conan, it stopped tapping the window glass with its beak. Instead, it began to flap impatiently, as if urging him to quickly open the window.

Conan unlatched the window and gently pushed it open, just small enough for the bird to enter. Hato flew in and promptly landed on Conan's head, nibbling on his hair. Sighing exasperatedly, he reached up and used both hands to pull it off his hair, wincing slightly when the bird refused to let go of several strands.

"Why are you here, Hato-san?" He whispered to the dove, which cooed throatily in response. "Did your Master send you? Or did you choose to fly over here?"

As he softly questioned the bird, he examined it for any signs of distress or injuries, which of course, he couldn't find any. Except for something strange tied to one of its legs.

It was a tiny canister, obviously housing a message.

Conan rolled his eyes. Somehow he wasn't at all surprised at Kaito's chosen mode of communication.

"Note to self: Give Kaito your cellphone number so he won't have to send his birds all over the place to contact you," Conan grumbled to himself as he removed the message from the canister.

_Chibi-Tantei,_

_I'll be swinging by your 'house' at 11 a.m to pick you up, then we'll head over to mine.  
><em>_Figures that it's the best place to exchange our stories. Unless you have another venue in mind?_

_Magician._

Conan felt a vein of his forehead twitching at the word 'Chibi'. That reminded him to remind that self-proclaimed magician NOT to make fun of their height difference or he would find a soccer ball kissing him full in his face.

Somehow, that imagery brought an amused smile to his face. Slowly he placed Hato on the windowsill. The pristine white bird flapped its wings and looked expectantly at him, waiting.

"Thank you for coming, Hato-san," he told his feathered friend, affectionately stroking its feathers. "And for delivering the message. I'm sorry I don't have anything edible at the moment to offer you. Next time, I promise."

At that, Hato gave a pleased '_coooo_' before hopping out of the window and flew off. Conan watched it go for awhile, then closed the window and emerged back into the room. To his relief, he found Ojisan still fast asleep.

_Okay, time to hit the shower and get ready before he arrives_, Conan thought. He turned around and headed for the door.

But on his way out, he caught sight of his reflection on Ojisan's mirror. His hair was all mussed and sticking out in all directions, courtesy of Hato sitting on his head, and him pulling it off! Now he looked like mini-Kaito with glasses, Conan realized, half-annoyed, half-amused.

Then he resumed his way to the bathroom.

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><p>"Whoa, Conan-kun, you are up early today," Ran observed, "And you are nicely dressed. Going somewhere later?"<p>

Conan plastered a bright smile. "I am going out with Kaito-niichan!"

"Kaito?" His childhood friend frowned slightly, brows furrowing in an attempt to try to remember.

"Yes! Kuroba Kaito-niichan!" Conan answered helpfully. "He is a magician! Remember last week Agasa-hakase brought me to Ekoda High School Charity Fair? Kaito-niichan was performing magic tricks and they were so cool! I wanna learn them, too, so I asked Kaito-niichan if he could teach me, and he said yes, he can!" Conan threw in an excited whoop for good measure. "He even taught me one simple magic trick!"

As Ran watched, Conan took out several items from his pocket. A black straw and a long string. He scurried off to find a razor blade, then returned to her, all set to perform a small but incredibly simple trick.

"Be careful when you're using the razor," Ran managed to caution him before he started. Conan flashed her a toothy grin, then began.

"Ran-neechan, as you can see, I am going to put this string into the straw," Conan said as he demonstrated. He then held the straw at its middle, showing her the two ends of the string dangling from the either sides of the straw. "And I am going to fold this straw into two." He proceeded to do just that. Carefully arranging his fingers to hold the straw, he announced, "And cut it!" He used the razor to slice through the folded part, earning a tiny gasp from Ran. Smirking, he pulled the pieces of straw apart, to show her that he had indeed, cut the straw into two pieces, before placing one piece atop of another. "What do you think happened to the string, Ran-neechan?"

Ran frowned at him. "It's cut into two pieces, of course. You had cut it together with the straw."

Conan grinned. He hated to admit it, but he enjoyed his little, impromptu performance. The euphoria was akin to him finally founding out the identity of the murderer, and his motives for committing such a heinous crime. Wordlessly, slowly, he pulled the string out of the straw. It was still a long string, not cut at all.

"…." Ran was at loss for words for a moment, staring at the string in disbelief, then at the two pieces of straw. "Wow. How did you do that?"

Conan winked slyly as he put a coy finger to his lips. "Hi-mit-su."

Ran sighed in exasperation, but there was fondness gleaming in her eyes. "Alright, Conan-kun, go learn more magic tricks. But in turn, you must show them to me, okay?"

"Hai!" Conan chorused brightly.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Conan perked up. "That must be Kaito-niichan!"

"I'll go get the door," Ran told him. "You wait here."

Conan sank back against the worn-out sofa of the office and watched as Ran scurried to open the door, cheerily saying, "Ah, you must be…"

Only to jerk to an abrupt halt, her body stiffening in shock and disbelief as she stared dumbly at the visitor.

"Shinichi?"

_What?_ Conan sat up ramrod straight, staring at Ran in astonishment. _That couldn't be Shinichi, because I am Shinichi. And I am right here._

"Shinichi…"

That single word, his name, was murmured with a pain and longing so deep Conan could feel his heart breaking, shattering into so many pieces in a resounding echo of indescribable agony. He fought back involuntary tears that suddenly blurred his vision.

"Ran-neechan," he began. His voice itself was soft and thick with anguish, yet it carried across the room. "That… that is not Shinichi-niichan. That is… Kuroba Kaito-niichan."

For several agonizing heartbeats there was only silence. Then Ran raised a hand to wipe her eyes, chuckling in strained embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. It just that you look so much like Shinichi… and I miss him so, _so_ much, and… I'm so sorry."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, opening the door wider. "Please come in. Would you like to have some coffee, Kuroba-san?"

"Gladly, Mouri-san!" Kaito answered cheerfully, as if the awkward moment never occurred. "I haven't had my first cup of caffeine today!"

Somehow, Kaito's cheery tone chased some of the shadows away, bringing tentative smiles to the hosts, despite the lingering traces of sorrow still evident in the depths of their eyes.

"Please take a seat. I'll go in the kitchen and pour a cup for you." Smiling warmly at Conan-kun and her guest, she left to do just that.

Another awkward silence. Kaito opened his mouth to say something, but Conan swiftly overrode him. Not here, not now. "Kaito-niichan! You gave me such a last-minute notice! And I'm supposed to sleep in on Saturdays!" He ended that with such a petulant, childlike glare, Kaito just looked at him, stunned. Then he broke into a thousand-watt grin.

"Gomen ne, Conan-kun. I nearly forgot about our appointment until my Mom reminded me about it this morning."

"You nearly forgot our appointment?" Conan wailed, giving in to pure child mode. All cuteness and whining. "How could you?"

Stifling a laughter at the 'distressed' boy in front of him, Kaito said, "I had a lot of projects, assignments and homework to do, Conan-kun. Being a high school student isn't exactly easy, you know."

"So which high school are you from, Kuroba-san?" Ran asked, suddenly appearing with a tray laden with hot drinks and a plate of cookies. Gracefully she placed them on the table, then seated herself beside Conan. She eyed the other teenager with curious interest.

And Conan studied her expression. She appeared calm and even happy, smiling politely at Kaito as he filled her in on just about everything; from school to magic to KID's heists and even some of the best places in Japan that he knew. Not a trace of despair was found anywhere on her features. But that was Ran; concealing her hurts and fears under a false bravado so as not to worry everyone else. But she would be worried about everyone else; selflessly putting their well-being before hers and doing everything in her willpower to help them.

And had obediently and patiently waited for him, just because he had told her to.

God, he loved her so, so much, and yet…

"THAT'S IT!" Ran suddenly exclaimed, snapping her fingers. Conan shook off his unhappy thoughts to look at her in surprise, blinking in confusion. He didn't realize that Kaito was mirroring his expression.

"What's it, Ran-neechan?" Conan hazarded a question.

Ran beamed. "Conan-kun, do you remember me telling you that I saw Shinichi with another girl, while crossing a busy street in Shibuya one rainy afternoon?"

When Conan nodded, still puzzled, Ran happily continued, "Then it wasn't Shinichi! It was Kuroba-kun! Am I right, Kuroba-san?"

Kaito scrunched up his face, trying to remember. "Shibuya? Oh, that was me, alright. With my childhood friend, Nakamori Aoko."

Conan's eyebrow rose to his hairline as he tried to suppress amused laughter. "Nakamori Aoko? Daughter of Nakamori Ginzo?"

Kaito leveled him a threatening glare. "Don't you DARE, Conan-kun."

"Yokatta," Ran whispered, oblivious of the exchange between Conan and Kaito. She sounded so happy and relieved Conan had to turn to look at her. Her eyes glistened, but there was a small smile on her face and even a tiny blush on her cheeks.

Conan and Kaito exchanged glances. Kaito arched an eyebrow in askance, and Conan shrugged.

Kaito finished his remaining coffee in one long swallow. Conan couldn't help but watch enviously. He loved Ran's coffee, and Ran wouldn't give it to him because kids shouldn't drink coffee and she wouldn't allow him to drink any coffee. But damn, he missed her coffee! Any coffee!

"Your coffee's splendid, Mouri-san…"

"Please, just call me Ran," she cut in, almost chidingly.

Kaito tried again, grinning. "Your coffee's splendid, Ran-san, and your cookies are delightful! Thank you for your hospitality! I wish we can stay and chat longer, but someone here really can't wait to get going. So we'll take our leave."

When Kaito stood up, Conan hopped off from the couch and grabbed his bag. Time to go. Finally. There was something he had to do before he went off to wherever Kaito wanted to bring him to.

"Please take care of Conan-kun," Ran said, fixing him a stern look that conveyed unsaid threats if he hadn't. "He tends to rush over to the most dangerous of situations, and he tends to disappear suddenly. You must keep an eye on him."

Kaito saluted smartly. "I promise, Ran-san, that I would look after him as I would my little brother." Conan rolled his eyes.

Satisfied with his answer, Ran turned to her little charge. "Conan-kun, don't go running off on your own, okay? And if there's anything wrong, you must inform Kaito-niichan or give me a call."

"Hai!" Conan forced as much cheeriness as he could muster.

"Well, then, be off, and take care!"

"Goodbye, Ran-neechan!"

"Thank you, Ran-san! We'll meet again!"

And they left the agency, with Ran waving after them.

As soon as they had faded from Ran's sight, Conan walked quickly, not caring that Kaito had to catch up with him and ignoring Kaito's plaintive questions. Basically, he ignored Kaito. After several blocks, he swiftly entered an alley. He dug out Shinichi's cellphone and readied his bow-tie. His heart thundered so hard and loud in his ears he could hardly breathe, but he had to do this. For Ran. For both of their sakes.

"_Moshi moshi?"_ Ran. The gentleness of her voice tugged at his heartstrings, and the image of her face, breathtakingly beautiful, brought a huge lump in his throat.

"Ran…"

A gasp. _"Shinichi?"_

Conan swallowed. "Ran."

There was a tense silence. The only sounds he heard were her ragged breathing, followed by a heart-wrenching sob. "_Shinichi, you baka! Do you know how much I…."_ She trailed off, sniffling. _"I miss you, you idiot!"_

Conan shut his eyes tightly, fighting the burn of his tears. "I know, Ran. I'm so sorry."

"_Where are you now?"_ She whispered brokenly. _"When can you come back?"_

"Ran." He HAD to let her know. At least, at least, she waited for him and knew why. "Ran, actually…"

"_Shinichi?" _She was waiting, always waiting. And always so patiently.

"Actually, I am involved in this really dangerous case. I can't… I can't come back to you right now, because if I do, I'll be putting you in danger, and I don't want to put you in danger. So Ran, please understand. Trust me, I would do anything to be with you, but I can't. I really want to, but I can't."

"Shinichi…"

"And…" He took a deep breath, and plunged in. "And Ran… I… I love you."

He could hear Ran's sharp intake of breath, and a tiny gasp of shock.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let you know like this. I had it planned, and it was an awesome plan, but as plans go, things didn't go as planned. And if something happens to me – I mean, anything can happen to me – I want to let you know that I love you. So very, very much. More than anyone else in the world. So that's why… that's why… you have to wait for me. I will come back to you, one day. I WILL come back to you. But you gotta wait for me to come back, because if you don't, I will be dying inside, and it is even worse than dying itself. So you must wait for me. I'll come back to you, Ran, I promise!"

"_Shinichi…" _Then, an exasperated sigh, _"Shinichi, you are such an idiot."_

Stunned by the unexpected ire in her voice, Conan fell silent, and she continued, gentler this time. _"I just need to hear the three words, Shinichi. I don't need a grand place or a grand setting to be able to hear it." _A slight pause._ "And I will wait for you to come back, even if it takes forever, I will wait for you. Because I…"_

A longer pause this time. Just as Conan opened his mouth to voice his concerns, she continued.

"_Because I love you too, Shinichi."_

"Ran…"

"_You must be careful, okay? You must be VERY careful. Call me whenever you can. I'll be waiting. For sure."_ A deafening crash, and he could hear Ojisan cursing loudly. _"I gotta go. Dad's already up. Take care, Shinichi."_

"Ran, no, wait!" Only a sharp click responded to him, followed by a dial tone.

Conan flipped his phone shut, gazing fondly at it but not really seeing it. He had finally told her, and damned it felt great. He could breathe easier now, as if a great weight had been lifted off his chest and vanished into nothingness. He felt strangely… happy. Like he wanted to run around at top speed, screaming at the top of his lungs, wanting the entire world to know how happy he was.

"Conan-kun," someone addressed him softly.

With a start Conan looked up and realized with horror that he had nearly forgotten all about Kaito, and the said teenager was leaning casually against the brick wall, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, the entire time he was on the phone with Ran.

"I'm sorry."

Conan frowned, not comprehending. Kaito's eyes were hidden beneath his long bangs, and Conan found it unsettling that he couldn't read the thief's expression. "You're sorry for?"

"For coming over. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I hadn't considered the possible reactions of Mouri-san upon seeing me; therefore, I shouldn't have come."

"Barou!" Conan snapped, the sharpness of his voice caused the other teen to look at him in bafflement. "Look at it this way; if you hadn't come by, I wouldn't have the opportunity to tell Ran what I wanted to tell her all along. If you hadn't come by, I wouldn't have the chance to see for myself how much she has been suffering because of me."

Conan was surprised at the pain that leaked out from the tenor of his voice. Quickly he shelved it away even though he knew it was too late. "It is bound to happen anyway, Ran meeting you, or vice versa," he added brightly. "So yeah, no apologies are necessary. In fact, I think I ought to _thank_ you instead."

Kaito quirked a mischievous grin. "You can thank me by going easy on KID next time!"

"Barou," Conan said again, but with affection this time. "I have been going easy on you all this time. Why do you think you aren't behind the bars yet?"

"Because I'm lucky and handsome and smart!" Kaito beamed proudly.

"You're a smartass, that's more like it," Conan couldn't resist saying.

When Kaito shot him a withering glare, Conan smirked.

Only to be the one to throw the withering glare back at Kaito when the magician remarked gaily, "Well, at least I am a TALL smartass!"

Conan rolled his eyes. "We're wasting time. Let's go to wherever you want to bring me to."

"To Ekoda," Kaito supplied, "where I live. There's a straight bus from here."

Speaking of which, the said bus lumbered into view. Kaito waved for it to stop for them.

"Buckle up, Conan-kun…"

"There are no seatbelts in the bus, idiot," Conan swiftly corrected the other teen, grinning cheekily. Kaito ruffled Conan's hair roughly, ignoring the resulting squeak of annoyance before continuing smoothly from where he had left off, as if the little detective hadn't spoken.

"…because we are in for a long ride!"

- To be continued -

* * *

><p>I hope that you'd enjoyed the ride. I know I have. ^^<p>

I know that in the conclusion of episode 76 (Conan vs The Phantom Thief 1412), Ran saw Kaito and Aoko and was relieved to know that who she saw in the beginning of the episode was not Shinichi. I omitted that part to fit it in here.

I am not sure what the name of the district that Kaito lives in is, so I picked Shibuya. I hope it's alright.

And the magic trick isn't my idea. Took it from an episode I saw in television, but can't remember the title because the title is too long. Something about Breaking the Magicians Code: Secrets Revealed (I think)

Reposted and did final editing, thanks to Chelseaj500 for kindly pointing them out. ^^ The remaining mistakes are all mine.

Thank you for reading!


	3. The Confrontation: Kaito and Heiji

**Chapter 3: **The Confrontation: Kaito and Heiji

**Disclaimer:** Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

**Rating:** Angst/Friendship

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dedicated to _Mysteryfan17_, for this is crafted by using her ideas. Thank you. ^^ I'm sorry that The Confrontation Chapter Three comes first instead of Saving the Detective – Chapter Three. I am pretty stumped on that one. KID and Conan are busy playing hide and seek with me in that fic, but they are waiting for me here, and so are you, so… here it is!

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

All errors seen are entirely mine, and I deeply apologize for the imperfection.

Now buckle up your seatbelts, everyone. Hope you'll enjoy the ride! It's not over yet! ^^

* * *

><p>Heiji had been getting that <em>something-is-wrong<em> feeling again. It was like that time he had a nightmare about Kudo getting stabbed, except this time wasn't as bad, but its persistent nagging annoyed him. Could it be that Kudo intend to do something _foolish_ behind his back again?

Well, there was one way for him to find out.

He rapped on the Agency's door, still thinking. After breakfast, he had surprised his parents by promptly declaring that he wanted to head down to Beika to check on something with someone. Dad grunted his approval; Mom just arched a questioning eyebrow. But before either of them could say anything, Heiji had grabbed his helmet and his keys and was already out of the door.

Informing Kazuha was a little difficult. He sweatdropped and stammered throughout his explanation, enduring her yelling with a sheepish grin and a strained chuckle. Must that _ahou_ get so agitated? Geez!

Though he was a little surprised when she ended the call with a soft and heartfelt "_Take care, Heiji._"

He couldn't deny that a pleasantly warm sensation bloomed from the bottom of his stomach to the tips of his fingers and toes upon hearing her voice, and he imagining her gently wistful expression on her angelic face didn't help matters, either.

So deep in his thoughts he didn't realize that the door was opened, that his fist almost landed on something else. All he knew next was something gripped him tight by his wrist and then suddenly his arm was swung around, bent at the elbow and pinned roughly against his back, inching upwards gradually to a point of a teeth-clenching pain.

"_Ow, ow, ow_, 'neechan!" he whined, grimacing. Hell, Kudo's girlfriend was scary! "It's me, Heiji! Don't kill me!"

He was released immediately, followed by a startled, "Heiji?" and "I'm so sorry!' followed quickly after, repeatedly and full of embarrassment and remorse. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see who's at the door, and when I open the door, something almost hit me on my face and I did what I just did…"

Heiji rubbed his aching appendage, grinning in amusement. "Don't worry about it, 'Neechan. 'Tis not your fault."

"Yes, it's not." Ran glowered at him accusingly. "You aren't supposed to be daydreaming when you are knocking at the door!"

He had the grace to look abashed. "I'm sorry!" He peered curiously into the office, searching for a certain critter who should be running out anytime now. "Say, where's Ku...Conan?"

'Neechan blinked. "Conan-kun? He left half an hour ago, with Kuroba-san."

A light frown creased his forehead. "Kuroba-san?"

"Kuroba Kaito," Ran explained. "He's a young but extremely talented magician from Ekoda High School. Conan met him at their charity fair and wanted to learn magic tricks from him. Kuroba-san came here awhile ago to fetch Conan-kun. And strangely…"

"What is it, 'Neechan?" Heiji demanded, his frown deepening.

Ran suddenly looked lonely and sad, much to Heiji's alarm. "…he looked so much like Shinichi."

What? _WHAT?_

She went on, oblivious to his growing horror. "Speaking of which, Shinichi called right after they left. He mentioned something about a dangerous case and that he can't tell anyone, and he can't come back home. Did he tell you anything about a dangerous case he's working on, Hattori-kun?" At this, Ran fixed him a suspicious look.

The only dangerous case Kudo's working on and couldn't tell anybody was the one involving the accursed Black Organization. Of course, by default Heiji couldn't tell anyone either. He didn't want the ones closest to him to be harmed, and he didn't want to be killed by Kudo. Instead he said, "He hasn't told me anything yet, 'Neechan, but I'll be sure to let you know if he does. Did he mention anything else?"

Ran reddened, and then there was this soft, dreamy smile on her face. "He told me he loves me, and he asks me to wait for him to come back. I've always known somehow that he loves me, but to hear him actually saying it… I am not dreaming, am I?"

A lot of possibilities raced through Heiji's mind; none of them good.

"Ne, 'Neechan, did Conan tell you where he's going with that Kuroba fellow?"

Ran frowned, shaking her head. "No, he didn't. What's wrong, Heiji-kun?"

_Oh, that couldn't be good…_

"Uh, no, nothing's wrong!" he backtracked quickly. "I thought I'm going to give him a surprise." He winked at her. "And you know what, 'Neechan? You're not dreaming. Kudo really loves you. He really does." With a cheerful laugh and an equally cheerful wave, Heiji turned on his heel and left, hurrying down the stairs and back to his beloved green motorcycle waiting patiently by the roadside.

Before that, he had a call to make.

"Hello, Ohtaki-han? It's me, Heiji. Can you do me a favor? No, it isn't anything serious. I just need the residential address of Kuroba Kaito." He paused, thinking. "A friend of mine is missing. I think he is with that guy, so can you please get the address for me so I can find him quickly? Thanks, Ohtaki-han!"

Okay, now that was done, all he had to do was to wait for Ohtaki-han to call him back. 'Neechan had said that Kuroba Kaito was from Ekoda High School, so he would make his way to Ekoda in the meantime.

Kudo left with a stranger, this Kuroba Kaito, to learn magic tricks? Since when Kudo had an interest in magic tricks, when it was obvious that magic tricks bored him? Why would he learn magic tricks when he could figure out the trick behind those tricks himself, being a genius he was? Who was Kuroba Kaito? Why didn't Kudo tell him anything about this particular guy? And why did he make such a call to 'Neechan? Confessing his feelings and telling her why he couldn't return to her because of a dangerous case he was involved in? It seemed almost like the call… was to be his _last_.

_Kudo, you have to be safe. You have to be!_

And that single thought kept repeating itself in his head as he gunned his motorcycle down the streets towards Ekoda; fervently hoping and praying that his best friend wasn't in danger. Because if anything was to happen to him, Heiji couldn't find it in him to forgive himself.

* * *

><p>"Here we are, Conan-kun," Kaito announced proudly. "Welcome to my humble abode."<p>

Conan stopped to stare at Kaito's house in incredulity and disbelieving awe. "Are you sure this isn't Beika, Kuroba?"

Surprised at the strangely hushed tone of his smaller counterpart, Kaito frowned at him. "Are you high? We just left Beika. This is Ekoda, and that building you're gaping at, is my house. What is the matter with you?"

The way Conan stood staring at his house freaked him out a little, though that was just an understatement. He scrutinized his own house, wondering if there was anything odd or out of place or anything of that sort. He cracked his head and thought harder until his head hurt. He just couldn't find anything wrong with his house. Except that it was a lovely, lovely building. And that was it. And there was nothing wrong about that.

"If I didn't know any better," the diminutive detective muttered, "I would have thought that I am seeing my own house."

Kaito deepened his frown. "You mean that my house and your house look _exactly_ the same?"

Conan nodded, and scowled. "It is bad enough that you look like me – I mean, ME before I'm in this size – now our houses look the same, too? What is the world getting to?"

"For now let's just put it as a coincidence," Kaito said dismissively, almost irritably. "Let's just go in, shall we?

So they did.

"Mom? I'm home!" Kaito called out, removing his shoes and slipping his feet into a pair of house slippers before entering and turning on the lights as he did so. "And I've brought a guest. Mom?"

As Kaito searched for his Mom, Conan took his time to study the interiors of the house, and much to his relief, nothing within this house resembled anything like his house. While his was neat and organized most of the time, this house was creatively cluttered, had more things that he had and if it's possible, felt more lived-in and cozy. Or maybe he was just feeling rather homesick at the moment. Homesick, and all of a sudden, alone.

"Kudo? Kudo? Kudo!"

Startled, Conan whirled around to look at the magician who was looking at him in concern. Conan colored visibly. "What?"

"Mom has gone out with Jii-san to do some grocery-shopping, but that's alright. Please make yourself at home," Kaito said cheerily. "What would you like to drink? Here, let me guess... Coffee?"

Conan gaped at him. "How did you –?"

"I saw you lusting for the cup of coffee in my hands when we were in your girlfriend's place," Kaito said smugly, relishing the look on the stricken detective's face. "I would have given you some, really I would, but I couldn't. So I am going to make you some. How do you like your coffee?"

To his credit, Conan recovered quickly. "Black. Thanks, Kuroba!"

Kaito just gave him a wink and a thumbs-up before disappearing into the kitchen.

Unceremoniously Conan threw himself back against the cushions, hands behind his head as he allowed his eyes to fall shut. For once it felt damned good to be himself again, as Kudo Shinichi, not Edogawa Conan. It felt damned good to drop those masks and pretenses once in a while, reminding himself that he wasn't Edogawa Conan, not by default, but Kudo Shinichi. So when Conan took out his glasses and placed them on the nearby coffee table, Kudo Shinichi was no longer hidden.

Kaito was right when he said that his house was the 'best' place to trade secrets. What he failed to mention that his house was also the best place to be one's true self again.

The strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee reached his nose even before Kaito appeared with the said coffee and oh, yummy, a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Shinichi opened his eyes just as Kaito set the items on the table, and without hesitating, he eagerly reached for his coffee, cupping his small hands around the thankfully small mug, closing his eyes once again as he inhaled the whiff of the hot liquid.

"Shall I leave you two alone?" Kaito joked, watching amusedly as Conan communed silently with his coffee. Those vividly blue eyes that looked so much like his, opened to fix him a cool glare, and Kaito realized that they weren't obscured by the ridiculously huge glasses, and with the realization came another; he was now looking at Kudo Shinichi, not Edogawa Conan.

"Take a picture, Kuroba," Shinichi told him, mouth quirking mischievously at its corners. "It'll last longer."

Kaito blinked. "Smartass."

As Shinichi enjoyed his coffee, Kaito let his gaze roam around, certain that was something different in his house. Like something was added somewhere, and he just couldn't find what it was…

There! Among the many photo frames standing on the low cabinets, were several which he had not seen before. Frowning, he got up to take a closer look.

There were those of Mom, and a very, very pretty woman of her age, posing excitedly for the photographer. While Mom had sleek ebony hair, her friend had gorgeous curly auburn locks, hanging loosely around her face and shoulders. And she looked vaguely familiar…

_Dad was having a guest, and they were talking happily, discussing something only they could understand._

_But Young Kaito wanted to impress the lady, so he crept behind her chair and appeared in front of her, and a second later, a single stalk of rose appeared in his fist, just as Dad had taught him._

"_You can have this!" He said proudly, offering the flower to her. "You are such a pretty old lady."_

_She just cradled the flower in childlike wonder, and Dad yanked him up to his lap and chided him. 'Hey, Kaito, don't be so bothersome!"_

_He blinked at his dad, then back at the lady, who looked excited. "My, what energetic child you have!" Then she leaned in to fix him an annoyed glare. "But did you know, you aren't supposed to use 'pretty' and 'old lady' in the same sentence!"_

_He widened his eyes in surprise. An idea struck him and he slunk away, looking for something in particular. But when he came back, the lady was nowhere to be found._

"_Otousan!" He called his father. "Where did your friend go?"_

"_Oh, Kaito, she had gone home," Dad replied, frowning. "Why?"_

"_I wanted to apologize to her because I called her a pretty old lady," Kaito told Dad earnestly. "I think I made her angry." He ended it with a forlorn note._

_Dad ruffled his hair affectionately. "Nah, she isn't angry. She behaves like that when you called her 'obachan'. But if you want to apologize to her, you will have to do it the next time you see her, alright?"_

"_Hai!"_

"Okasan?" A new voice interrupted, startling him out from his reverie.

_What?_ Kaito turned to look at his equally flabbergasted friend. "Okasan? That lady is your mother?"

Shinichi reached for a photo frame to stare at it with the same incredulity he had when he stared at Kaito's house. "What was Mom doing with your Mom? They know each other?"

"Seems to me that they are best of friends," Kaito observed, scrutinizing the other photographs. "But why did these appear only now? They weren't here before."

Shinichi used a thumb to swipe at a hint of lint at the topmost corner of the frame. "Your Mom probably cleaned up the attic or the storeroom earlier today. Then she found these photo frames, wiped them and put them here. Look at the other photo frames; they are mildly dusty, but the ones she had just brought out, are clean."

"My, aren't you sharp," Kaito muttered, impressed. But what puzzled him was that, "Why did Mom suddenly want to clean the attic? She had been avoiding it since…"

He stopped so abruptly, Shinichi snapped his head around to stare curiously at him.

Kaito was saved from answering when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go get the door!" He said brightly. The doorbell kept ringing shrilly and persistently, as if the guest outside couldn't wait.

Scowling, Kaito went to answer the door, shouting "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. So quit pressing the doorbell already!" And this time, it was his turn to gape in shock. So shocked, he said something he shouldn't.

"_Tantei-han?_"

"Kudo?"

* * *

><p>So this is the place where Kuroba Kaito lives, Heiji thought smugly as he stared at the mansion in appreciation. But something nagged at him; that somehow the mansion looked <em>familiar<em>… now where had he seen it before?

He pressed the doorbell again and again, shifting impatiently on his feet as he waited for the resident to respond. What took him so long to come out? Was anybody even home?

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, so quit pressing the doorbell already!"

The door opened, and Heiji blinked, aghast.

"_Tantei-han?_"

"Kudo?"

Heiji backed away to look at the building again, then at Kudo. Yeah, come to think of it, the house looked exactly like Kudo's. But he was in Ekoda, right, not Beika? So that means that the person who answered the door wasn't Kudo, although the resemblance was eerily uncanny.

"No, you're not Kudo," Heiji said accusingly. "You just look like him. You're Kuroba Kaito. You're the one who brought Ku…Conan away from Mouri Detective Agency. Now where is he? What did you do to him?"

He spotted Conan's sneakers placed neatly among the various footwear littered at the entrance. His hunch was correct. Kudo was really with Kuroba Kaito. The big question lingered; _Why?_

And Kaito calling him _'Tantei-han'_… exactly the way KID addressed him, minus the surprise and all that because KID rarely showed anything except for his signature maniacal smugness. Could be it that…

Heiji fixed Kaito a thorough once-over, at the same time picturing the white-clad smirking thief. Mentally he put the two images side by side; comparing, analyzing, deducing and finally…

"You're KID, aren't you," Heiji said flatly. His stony emerald gaze held no hint of friendliness.

Kaito blinked at him, suddenly recalling the time when Conan-kun had confronted him and said the exact same thing in the exact same tone; shrewd, bold, completely confident and in control.

"Kuroba? What's the matter? What's taking you so long?"

Shinichi.

Within moments, the afore-mentioned detective stood beside him and did a double-take.

"_Hattori?_"

Heiji barged in and knelt down in front of the small boy, gripping him by his shoulders and giving him a critical look. "Ku…Conan-kun, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Shinichi frowned, baffled. "Yes, I mean, no, I'm not hurt. I'm okay. What are you doing here, Hattori?"

Heiji stared at him incredulously, and began shaking the boy hard. "I am supposed to be asking you that, _ahou_! What are you doing here, all alone, with this guy? What were you thinking when you make that call to Ran and just took off with a stranger, who just happens to be KID?"

By now Kaito had shut the door and was frowning in sheer annoyance at the Tantei of the West.

"Hattori…"

Heiji let go of the boy and stood up, continuing his tirade and throwing his arms up to the air in frustration. "And you didn't even think to tell me anything about befriending KID! KID, of all people! And here I thought you wanted to have him arrested, by hook or by crook! What had happened to THAT?"

"Hattori…"

"But now look at you! Doing something foolish behind my back, again! If I hadn't trust my instincts and head over to Beika, I wouldn't have known about your recent development. And when are you planning to tell me? Never?"

"HATTORI!"

At Shinichi's exasperated bark of his name, Heiji stopped his rant, breathing hard. Then he glowered at his rival detective.

"Look, I truly appreciate your concern for me, really I do," Shinichi began, sighing wearily as he made his way back to the couch. Kaito and Heiji followed suit. Kaito stood to the left of the faux-child, nearest to the kitchen and away from the agitated Osakan Tantei, who leaned against the wall on the right with his arms crossed, looking as unhappy as Kaito felt.

"But you must understand, I can't tell you about KID, because it is not MY secret to share," Shinichi continued, now glaring openly Heiji. "And even if I can, why would I? You keep calling me Kudo in public, and I can't trust you enough not to call Kuroba 'KID' in public. Because, Hattori, if any wrong person catches wind of your frequent slip-ups and makes sense of it, all of us and everyone we care about will be in fatal danger. Do you at least understand that, Hattori?"

Heiji just stood there, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly like a fish (much to Kaito's displeasure). Finally his mouth clicked close and Heiji slumped against the wall, defeated and ashamed.

"I'm sorry," Heiji half-whispered.

Shinichi smiled gently. "It's okay, Hattori. Just be really careful next time."

Kaito handed Heiji a tall, sweating glass of beverage. "I don't know what you like to drink, Hattori-san, but I hope you'll like this homemade Ice Lemon Tea, my Mom's recipe." A truce offered.

"Thank you, Kuroba," Heiji accepted the drink gratefully and took a long sip. Truce accepted. Some color returned to his complexion, and he grinned brightly. "So, what have I missed?"

"We haven't even started anything yet," Kaito was the one who answered. "Well, we're going to, until you appeared unannounced at my doorstep."

Heiji opened his mouth to frame a retort, only to be interrupted by a single ringing of the doorbell. Immediately afterwards, a key was slotted into the lock, was turned, and the door swung open, and an elderly man armed with grocery bags and a tall, slender woman stepped in.

Simultaneously the three boys rose to their feet, with Kaito starting forward to help relieve his mother from her shopping bags but Jii-san took them before Kaito could and marched into the kitchen, leaving Kaito with his Mom in the living room with their guests.

"Mom, these are my friends, Edogawa Conan and Hattori Heiji," he told her, nodding at the boys respectively.

Respectfully they gave a slight bow. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Conan-kun, Hattori-kun, this is my Mom, Kuroba Fumiyo," Kaito introduced them to his mother.

Kuroba Fumiyo looked better than she was in photographs, though she was slightly older now. Cerulean eyes twinkling with ever-present delight, and a gentle cheerful smile that was always there on her chiseled face accentuated by sleek glossy black hair with slightly curled bangs on her forehead. She was beautiful for her age, and the boys found themselves blushing slightly at the realization.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Conan-chan, Hattori-kun," Fumiyo beamed. "Why don't both of you and Kai-chan take a seat and have a chat while I go in the kitchen to prepare dinner? I am sure you have a lot to share with each other. I'll join you boys the soonest I can." With a coy wink, she turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

The three boys exchanged puzzled glances.

Heiji, as usual, was the first to break the awkward silence. "So, what now? Where do we start?"

And thus, on that very night, secrets were no longer secrets.

Little did they know that on that very night, the unlikely friendship between two great detectives and one very elusive thief, would begin.

Once they found out that some goals would be easier to achieve if they pooled their resources and worked together.

- To be continued -

* * *

><p>Finally done with this chapter! I hope it is to your satisfaction! ^^<p>

I know that the name of Kaito's mother is Kuroba Chikage, but I don't really fancy Chikage, so I used Fumiyo, as in _Relative's Truth_ by Becky Tailweaver (She had inspired me greatly!) and I really like the name Fumiyo.

And for the many others out there who read, commented, favorited, and put me or/and my stories on alerts…

THANK YOU!


	4. The Revelation

**Chapter 4: **The Revelation

**Summary: **That one night when the truth finally came to light.

**Disclaimer:** Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

**Rating:** Angst/Friendship

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the _long_ wait. I got sidetracked with something, among many other things. Something, or rather _someone_ VERY intriguing. *winks* Oh, regarding the part in which '_From Osaka-to-Tokyo-you-won't-be-able-to-bike-there-in-a-day_' I sorta remembered at the very last moment that Hattori took a plane to get to Tokyo from Osaka. And by then, it was already too late. -_- So for now, I hope all of you can close an eye to that and pretend that Heiji really rode his bike from Osaka to Tokyo. Play along with me, at least, for this story only. Such a blunder won't happen again. What a rookie mistake. *annoyed at myself* And thank you for waiting! ^^

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Now buckle up your seatbelts, everyone. Hope you'll enjoy the ride! It's not over yet! ^^

* * *

><p>Heiji, as usual, was the first to break the awkward silence. "So, what now? Where do we start?"<p>

The silence deepened as one blue gaze stared intently into another similar blue gaze in a calm challenge. Eyebrow slightly raised, mouth quirking in a small, amused smile.

And what raised goosebumps on Heiji's skin was that Kuroba and Kudo's expressions were so identical; it was downright eerie.

"Erm, should I toss a coin?" Heiji tried again, looking at the teen magician and then to the chibi Tantei hopefully. "Head, Kuroba starts first? Tail, Kudo?"

Kudo gave a light snort. "That won't be necessary, Hattori. I think I will begin first; considering that I was the first one to approach Kaito about KID, anyway. So it's only fair that my secret isn't going to be a secret any longer, at least, not among us."

"I have always known that you are a man of honor, Shinichi," Kaito teased, his eyes lighting up impishly. "Or should I say, a _child_ of honor? Since you don't really look like a man right now."

Kaito laughed when Shinichi hurled a cushion at his direction. "Shaddap! Do you want to listen or not?"

Still in between chuckles, Kaito held up both hands in placating surrender. "Fine, fine. Don't get ya shoelaces in a twist. Get on with it; I'm all ears."

Shinchi heaved a deep breath. Somehow, unraveling a secret he had kept buried meticulously for so long seemed to be much harder than he initially thought. It wasn't simply story-telling; of laying down facts chronologically and in detail, because these facts involved more lives on the line, and Shinichi wasn't willing to expose anymore people in the danger that by right, should be his, and his alone. His life in danger; _that_ he could handle, but lives of others in danger? Because of him? _That _couldn't and wouldn't sit well with his conscience.

"Hey, Kaito?"

"Hmm?" Kaito shot Shinichi a bewildered look; puzzled by the detective's sudden melancholy. What disturbed him more was that he couldn't read Shinichi's eyes, obscured by the long bangs.

"Are you sure you want to listen to this? Even if it means putting your life, and the lives of the people you hold dear, at stake?"

Kaito looked at Heiji, who shrugged. "He asked me the same question, right before he spilled everything."

"Think carefully, Kaito," Shinichi continued softly. "The people responsible for reducing me to _this_," gesturing to his child body, the word was spat with so much venom and hate; it took the other two off guard, "are very ruthless and downright cold-blooded. Once they find out that their secret is no longer a secret, they will not only obliterate you, they will kill every single one person who is related to you, by blood or not by blood. Are you sure you want to expose them to that much danger?"

Steely blue eyes stared seriously at Kaito, silently willing the other teen to understand the gravity of his situation. To his surprise, Kaito matched his gaze evenly.

"Shinichi, you do realize that we are on the same boat, don't you?" Kaito countered; his voice calm and deadly serious. "The risks I took when I became KID are pretty much the same risks you took when you became Conan. It is a _necessity_ to keep our identities in the shadows while we strive to accomplish our objectives against them. So since I already knew who you are, it is too late to back out now. You can't face them alone, Shinichi. And I know I can't face _them_ alone. So I hope we can work together."

At '_them_' Shinichi fixed Kaito a dark look. "Are we talking about the same '_them_' here?"

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. How about you tell me your story, then I'll let you know if your '_them_' and my '_them_' are the same thing?"

Shinichi managed a smile. "Alright then… here goes nothing…"

Taking a deep breath, Shinichi launched into his past; threading the waters he wished he would never have to tread again. Strolling down Memory Lane wasn't something he liked to do. Especially if it involved a certain unpleasant memory that still had trapped him in a never-seemed-to-be-ending nightmare.

"It was a normal, peaceful day out at the Tropical Lands with Ran, save for a grisly Roller Coaster murder at the end of the day. Little did I know that that was to be my last day as Kudo Shinichi, because I just had to go and follow a certain man in black to the alley, where he performed an illegal transaction with a man who was involved in weapon smuggling. In exchange for the film evidence, the man handed over a briefcase full of cash. That was all I managed to find out before I was knocked out and drugged. When I woke up, I was reduced to _this_." Again, the last word was spat out like a piece of rancid meat on his tongue; embittered with dark fury and hatred.

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, Kuroba Fumiyo stumbled and leaned against the kitchen counter for support, tears dripping down her chin as she fought to keep her feelings under control.<p>

"Poor Shin-chan…"

"Fumiyo-sama…" Jii's concerned voice broke through the haze of her grief.

Fumiyo gestured for the old man to hush, listening intently to the earpiece of a listening device as sounds of the conversation in the living room began to pick up once more.

Inhaling deeply, Fumiyo straightened herself and went back to work.

* * *

><p>"Panicked, confused and still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, I ran away from the police custody and to my house, but with me in this size I wasn't able to even get the gate open. Luckily enough Agasa-hakase blew up the wall of his own home and tumbled outside. I managed to convince him that I am Shinichi and he brought me inside my house. Ran came along and I was had no choice but to use Otousan's glasses and the names of Edogawa Rampo and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the alias of the new me. Then Agasa-hakase had to go and asked her to bring me over to her place, and I couldn't think straight enough to refuse properly."<p>

"Whoa, to live with your girlfriend, seems to be a pretty sweet deal to me," Hattori joked.

But to everyone's surprise, Shinichi all but snapped. "You have absolutely NO idea what it's like to be so near to someone you love so much but you're unable to tell her how you feel. You have absolutely NO idea what it's like to see her missing you every day when you are right beside her the whole time. You have absolutely NO idea what it's like to see her suffer because of you, to make her wait for you to return when you are already right there with her. You don't understand what it's like to be so near her but at the same time you're so far away from her. The agony… sometimes I wished that they had killed me instead."

The small body trembled with the intensity of his emotions, and Heiji couldn't help but flinch at his joke gone wrong. "Sorry," he said meekly.

But Shinichi shook his head. "Don't be, Hattori. None of this is your fault."

"So what have you find out about those responsible for shrinking you to pint-sized detective?" Kaito asked lightly, trying to steer the conversation back to safer territories.

The diminutive detective blinked. "Oh, that. They are Black Organization, named because all of its agents are dressed in black. Agents who have excelled beyond the rank of file member and earned enough recognition are given the codenames of alcoholic beverages such as Gin, Vodka, Vermouth, Sherry, Tequila, Pisco, Calvados, Irish, Chianti, Korn, Bourbon, Kir and Rye."

"And you have encountered all of them?" Kaito's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

A grave nod, but neither Heiji nor Kaito missed a glimmer of a triumphant smirk on the boy's face. "Yes. So far the most dangerous is Gin. He was the one who knocked me out and force-feed me the poison." A brief scowl. "Vodka is his partner, and sometimes he enlists the help of two professional snipers, Chianti and Korn. However Vermouth…"

Heiji arched a questioning eyebrow. "Vermouth?"

"She is a wild card in the Black deck," Shinichi continued, frowning. "While some of the agents knew, or suspected my identity were killed before they had the chance to reveal it, Vermouth knows of my secret and she somehow still keeps it a secret from her Boss." He paused to throw Kaito a sly look. "Hate to tell you this, Kaito, but her skill in disguises rivals yours."

Kaito snorted. "Good to know that you are amazed by that."

"But that's not all," Shinichi went on. "The scientist responsible for making the drug is now an ally, and she lives with Agasa-hakasa right now."

Kaito's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me! You mean that mini-woman?"

"Her name is Ai Haibara," Shinichi scowled at the still-gaping teen magician, "She is who she is now because the Organization killed her sister." Shinichi paused, his expression going dark and stormy all of sudden. Then his face closed off and he looked up at his waiting friends. "Now she is on our side, and I trust her. I believe in her, and I trust you two to do the same, alright?"

Twin nods in response. Abruptly Heiji shuddered, recalling the girl's icy gaze and even colder, monotonous tone when she spoke. "She's creepy, though."

"You'll get used to it. She's not that bad once you get to know her better." Then as afterthought, "But she is still creepy."

"I am surprised that the Mister Great Detective has some fears," Kaito teased, "Here I thought that he's not scared of anything, being invincible and all that!"

Flushing in irritation, Shinichi lobbed a cushion at Kaito, and smirked when it hit the laughing teen full on his face. Sputtering indignantly, Kaito moved to retaliate, only to stop when he saw his Mom in the kitchen waving a ladle warningly at him with a wink and a sweet smile that belied her murderous intent should he defy her. Amused, Shinichi and Heiji watched as Kaito deflated and finally resorted to fix them the sourest scowl he could manage.

"Okay, seeing that if I am to elaborate everything on what I know about the Organization, I will need a lot of time, and time is what we don't have right now," Shinichi rationalized. "So how about you get on with your story, Kaito?"

* * *

><p>Back in the kitchen, Fumiyo turned off her listening device, her face forlorn and inexplicably lonely all of a sudden.<p>

"Fumiyo-sama?"

She forced a smile at her old friend. "It's okay, Jii-san. It's just that Kai-chan is about to relate the story behind Kaitou KID to his friends, and it is a story we all know too well."

_And I don't want to relive it again. Not tonight. Gomen ne, Kai-chan._

* * *

><p>Almost immediately, Kaito's cheerful expression leeched away, smoothing out to reveal almost nothing. Poker Face was now firmly in place, the two detectives realized with a start, and for a terrifying moment they were unsure if they were facing Kaito, or KID.<p>

"You are right, Shinichi. KID is merely a bait to lure out the murderers of the original Kaitou KID," Kaito said, his voice as unreadable as his face. "And of my Dad, Kuroba Toichi."

"Your Dad?"

"I didn't know anything about Dad being KID, and Mom wasn't planning to let me know," A trace of frustration leaked in his tenor. "And it wasn't until 8 years after his death, a Kaitou KID made an appearance, so curious of the identity, I went to uncover it. Turned out it was Kunosuke Jii, Dad's assistant and old friend."

Heiji frowned. "Kunosuke Jii? That old guy with your Mom just now?"

A terse nod. "I had him cornered and forced him to tell me the truth."

"And the truth is?" Shinichi hazarded a question when Kaito paused for a bit too long.

Kaito's voice softened and trembled slightly with the intensity of emotions powerful enough to slip though the famous Poker Face. "Dad was killed because he refused to help them retrieve Pandora, a doublet red gem which is said to shed tears of immortality during the passing of particular comet. So that is why I chose to take his mantle, to become KID so I can smoke out the killers and to find Pandora first, and destroy it before they can get a hand on the gem."

Several heartbeats of silence enveloped the living room for awhile as the detectives absorbed the information. Finally it was Shinichi who spoke first.

"So your '_them_' and my '_them_' isn't the same?"

Kaito shook his head. "I don't think so. So far I have only encountered two of them, and none of them bears the name of any alcoholic beverages. One is Snake, and the other is Jackal."

"Snake and Jackal," Heiji echoed thoughtfully. "Predators of the wild, then. Might be possible, right?"

Kaito shrugged. "We cannot rule anything out. I haven't met enough of them to figure out who they actually are. But from what you've told me about the Black Organization and the APTX 4869, I think that they have at least one thing in common."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed darkly. "Immortality."

"But that is completely absurd!" Heiji exclaimed. "Immortality? You got to be kidding me!"

The faux child hopped off the couch and started pacing. "Think about it, Hattori. Pandora is said to be a magical gem that grants immortality when something happens. And Haibara did mention that I was a part of the project the Organization had been working on for already half a century."

"_WHAT?_"

"Vermouth once said that they can be both God and Devil since they are trying to raise the dead against the stream of time. To which Haibara replied that things cannot be rushed and that humans can never go against the stream of time. If Man tries to change that, there will be punishment. And to achieve this goal, this is probably why they are recruiting talent in biochemistry and computer science and using proceeds from their crimes to fund their research."

"That is just _crazy_!"

"Indeed, Hattori," Shinichi agreed. "That is why we have to stop them. For good. Someone has to."

Kaito grinned. "That's right. WE have to stop them. You and I aren't alone in this anymore."

But was surprised when Shinichi frowned instead. "And I am still wondering if it's a good thing."

Before Kaito could protest, a cheerful voice rang out to interrupt them. "Kai-chan, Shin-chan, Hei-chan, it's dinner time! Come and eat!"

Hattori practically bounced up and down in excitement. "Yay, food! I'm hungry!"

"You are always hungry!" Shinichi pointed out as they made their way to the dining table.

"Shaddap, twerp!" Heiji glared at his smaller counterpart. "At least I am growing up, not the other way round!"

"Hey!"

"At least Kudo's more matured than you, Hattori," Kaito interjected cheerfully. "Physically you are a teen, but mentally you are still a kid!"

Shinichi snickered at Heiji's obvious indignation, only to yelp when the Osakan Detective bore down on him and ruffled his hair mercilessly. "Hey, stop that, Hattori! Let go! My hair!"

Safely out of reach, Kaito laughed.

"Ehem," a polite clearing of throat stopped them in mid-action. The boys froze, and looked over at Fumiyo, who was watching them in amusement. Immediately they straightened up; Shinichi shooting a dark glare at Hattori, Hattori was flushing with embarrassment and also decidedly not apologetic at all, and Kaito was grinning like he was having the time of his life.

"Are you boys done, or do you need more time?" Fumiyo asked sweetly.

"Erm, that is not necessary, ma'am!" Hattori replied quickly, scratching mindlessly at a spot under his eye that Shinichi suspected wasn't itchy at all.

"Then let's settle down and eat," she admonished. "It is not polite to keep warm food waiting."

But as soon as they had settled down, the doorbell rang.

"What now?" Kaito grumbled as he went to get the door, only to blink in surprise at the person standing at the entrance.

"Aoko? What are you doing here?"

The girl beamed, showing off a covered basket. "Kaito! I've brought you something! It's your favorite dish! Mom happened to cook this for dinner, so I packed some and rushed here."

Kaito accepted the basket reluctantly, but as soon as he peered inside, a megawatt smile lit up his face. "Whoa, this is awesome! Thank you, Aoko!"

Aoko blushed happily. Then she saw his guests at the dining table and blinked. "Hey, isn't that Hattori Heiji? Oh, Conan-kun is here too! What are they doing here?"

"They came to learn magic tricks from me!" Kaito answered brightly.

Aoko frowned at him. "Magic tricks? From you?"

Kaito bobbed his head up and down. "Yes. They wanna impress their girls with magic tricks, and I am the best magician around!" He added the last bit proudly.

He was rewarded with Aoko rolling her eyes, but there was a soft smile on her face, almost a relief somehow. Kaito had a suspicion that it got to do with the two detectives in his house. And probably KID.

"Do you want to come in, Aoko, have dinner with us?" He invited, stepping aside to let her in.

Aoko shook her head immediately. "Thanks Kaito, but I gotta head back now. My parents are waiting for me. See you in school, Kaito!"

With a cheery wave, Aoko hopped on her bicycle and rode away, disappearing round the bend in an instant.

When Kaito got back to the dining table, he was greeted with many mischievous leering faces.

"What are you looking at me like that?" Kaito retorted defensively, annoyed.

Shinichi chortled. "This is rich! The famous Kaitou KID the Phantom Thief is in love with a Police Inspector's daughter! The irony!"

The detectives exchanged a high-five, grinning wickedly at his obvious discomfort.

A loud sigh of exasperation. "Hei-chan, Shin-chan, leave poor Kai-chan alone, okay?" When Kaito stuck out his tongue at his friends, Fumiyo added teasingly, "You can always antagonize him some other time. I won't stop you."

At Kaito's indignant '_Mom!_' everyone broke out laughing.

Thankfully, the dinner went ahead without any further disruptions.

"Obasan," Shinichi began after swallowing his mouthful. "How do you get to know my Mom?"

Fumiyo gently placed her chopsticks down and looked at him, her expression wistful. "Yukiko-chan is my best friend. We've known each other since childhood and even got married at the same time. We are a riot whenever we are together. Ah… those were the days…"

She threw a sly glance at Kaito. "Slightly more than a month later after you were born, Shin-chan, I gave birth to Kai-chan."

"No wonder those two look freakishly alike," Heiji mumbled. "You must have spent a lot of time with Kudo."

"I couldn't help it!" Fumiyo protested. "Shin-chan was so adorable! I even stayed with Yukiko-chan for awhile so that I could always see and play with Shin-chan."

Despite flaming cheeks, Shinichi voiced a question that had been playing in his mind ever since he first saw Kaito's house. "And your house and my house look alike because…?"

"Oh, that!" Fumiyo beamed proudly. "That was your Dad's and Toichi's idea! They thought that it would be funny to have identical houses! They had it all drawn up and planned two years before our weddings. The only difference is the color."

"Kudo's house is black, and Kuroba's is white!" Hattori exclaimed triumphantly. "But why?"

It was Shinichi who answered. "Black, because of Night Baron, and white, because of Kaitou KID. How fitting indeed."

But it wasn't a coincidence, Shinichi was certain of that. Their paths had weaved together from the start, only to drift apart somewhere in the middle and now, had intertwined again. If his parents and Kuroba's parents had been best friends, then they should have known something, and whatever it was, Shinichi was absolutely sure that the information was vital; the missing piece of the very complicated puzzle lay out before them. Judging from the shadows still evident in Fumiyo-obasan's eyes, Shinichi was reluctant to press her for more details, hungered with curiosity as he was. So there was only one other way; his parents. Shinichi made a firm mental note to call them and demand them to tell him the truth he had been so deprived of.

He jumped when the living room's clock began to chime. He whipped his head around and noted with shock that it was already nine o'clock.

"Oh my! It's late! Ran's gonna kill me!" He panicked, scrambling to fetch his glasses and his backpack, pointedly ignoring everyone's amused looks. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kaito, Fumiyo-obasan, but I really gotta go!"

Heiji blinked, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, Kudo, wait up! I'm gonna send you back! 'Neechan'll kill me if I let you go home all by yourself. See you later, Kuroba! Please excuse us, Fumiyo-obasan!"

Before anyone could blink, the two detectives were already out of the door, on the motorcycle and were gone. For quite awhile, Kaito and his Mom stood watching the place where they had last seen those two.

"It seems that you have made yourself some very good friends, Kai-chan," Fumiyo observed softly.

"And it seems that you have finally decided to face your past, Mom," countered Kaito, just as softly.

Fumiyo gave a light sigh. "Yes, Kai-chan. I was merely prolonging the inevitable. It appears that the time has come for the truth to finally come to light, for me to stop running and hiding away."

"Mom…"

Fumiyo ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "Don't worry, Kai-chan. Everything is alright now."

And it was, because Kai-chan and Shin-chan were now on very good terms, and they would succeed where her husband had failed. Of that she had no doubt.

She never had any to begin with.

- End of Chapter Four -

* * *

><p>Yay! Finally done!<p>

Now that I got this chappie off my head, I am so relieved! Hope it is satisfactory to everyone! ^^

Sorry that Heiji didn't get much spotlight here. I have no idea how to squeeze him in. -_-

And yes, I'm planning more interactions/confrontations between Kaito and other DC casts, so stay tuned!

Thank you everybody for your support!


	5. The Confrontation: Kaito and Ai Haibara

**Chapter 5: **The Confrontation: Kaito and Ai

**Summary: **Kuroba Kaito met Ai Haibara for the very first time.

**Disclaimer:** Anyone and anything that you recognize from Detective Conan, is/are from Detective Conan.

**Genre:** Angst/Friendship

**Author's Note: **I am not really a fan of Ai Haibara, so getting in her shoes and into her head are so hard. Do forgive me if Ai Haibara is a little bit OOC.

This story has not been beta-ed. So all mistakes are mine and mine alone, with deepest apologies.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Now buckle up your seatbelts, everyone. Hope you'll enjoy the ride! It's not over yet! ^^

* * *

><p>"So, you are a friend of Kudo-kun," Ai said flatly.<p>

"Yes."

"And he told you _the_ secret."

"Yes."

A cold stare, and even colder tone. "I do not know who more of a fool is; you for wanting to know the secret, or him for spilling it."

_Deep breaths, Kaito,_ he kept reminding himself. _Don't let her get to you. Poker Face. Remember Poker Face. Assume KID's personality now!_

"Why not you, Ai-san?" Kaito purred. "If I remembered correctly, you are the one who invented the poison, are you not? You are the root of Kudo's _small_ problem."

"Oh?" Ai countered icily. "Do you prefer to see him dead instead?"

A mild shrug of casual indifference. "From what he told me, death seemed to be an appealing option, compared to the daily agony of living a lie, even if it is to protect the lives of everyone he loves."

Was it him, or did he _just_ notice a flicker of shock on the girl's face?

"He may be a fool," Ai-san narrowed her eyes, her lips flattening in a grim line. "But he is _not_ that much of a fool, to be thinking such suicidal thoughts."

Kaito _hmph_-ed. "Apparently you do not know him as well as you think you do, Ai-san."

"And you do, Kuroba-san?" Ai threw him a murderous glare.

Kaito thought of several rare moments of he had seen Conan-kun suddenly looking morose as he watched Ran-san with a longing so strong Kaito could almost feel his own heart breaking, of the times Conan-kun had bolted awake from countless nightmares with no comfort in sight, of the too-cheerful façade Conan-kun had always maintained to prevent suspicion or unnecessary worry, of the way Conan-kun had recklessly charged headlong into danger in pursuit of the truth and protecting the ones he loved…

"Yes," Kaito answered softly. "Yes, I do."

Silence enveloped Agasa-hakase's huge living room for several agonizing heartbeats, and Kaito took the opportunity to sip his tea. _Hmm, not bad for one mad scientist and a crazy professor,_ Kaito thought wryly, glancing at the silent faux girl who seemed to be lost in thoughts. And Kaito let his thoughts wander, as well.

At Kudo's insistent invitation, Kaito had hopped over to the professor's house, wondering what Kudo had in store for him. He had received the same stunned stare just like Ran-san when Agasa-hakase opened the door for him. Kaito could bet all the yens in his pocket that Kudo's name was on the old man's lips. Kaito resisted the urge to roll his eyes, or sigh in exasperation. Did he and Kudo really look THAT similar?

"Kudo-kun met my sister, once," Haibara said softly, gently bringing Kaito's attention back to her. There was something in her voice – filled with unspoken pain and grief - that made Kaito raised a concerned but curious eyebrow. "Have you heard of the One Billion Yen Robbery Case?"

Kaito had. And that bank heist had been big news, splashed over newspapers and media nation-wide. A team of three professional robbers had successfully escaped the bank with one billion yen, and police had been unable to track them, until one by one, the robbers were found dead in separate locations and causes of death. Strangulation, poisoned and the last one, was fatally shot. And the one who was shot was a woman.

Kaito blinked. A woman? Then….

"She was your sister?" Kaito asked, incredulous.

A terse nod. "And Kudo-kun couldn't save her."

Kaito recalled one more important fact; a young boy was found kneeling beside the body, blood on his small hands, horror and grief plain on his young face. Edogawa Conan, who was Kudo Shinichi all along.

"He was there," the faux little girl all but snarled, "Yet he couldn't save her!"

So that would explain how Kudo's face went all dark and shuttered when he was talking about Ai-san a few nights ago; he was overcome with guilt and remorse for his inability to save the victim. Suddenly, Kaito felt his own face went dark and shuttered. He glared coolly at the shrunken scientist.

"He had tried his best," Kaito said through clenched teeth. Knowing Kudo, the detective had tried his very best, and that his failure was still haunting him even now.

Unexpectedly, Ai-san relented with a morose sigh. "I know. I had given him enough grief about it already. But sometimes… sometimes…" The little scientist broke off abruptly, turning away and shuddered.

"I know," Kaito's tone gentled. It was never easy dealing with the death of your loved ones. And it was the death of a loved one that he became KID in the first place.

"So, Kuroba-san," Ai-san eyed him with a raised eyebrow. "Why has he told _you_ the secret?"

Kaito shrugged. A careless gesture. "No idea. Maybe because he needs as many allies as possible? He might be a small critter, but that problem he's having, isn't exactly a small one."

Somewhere in Agasa's mansion, Shinichi sneezed several times in concession, then wiped his nose in irritation.

"Don't I know that," Ai-san rolled her eyes. "But you are missing the point here, Kuroba-san. Why _you_ in particular?" She emphasized on the word '_you_' with concentrated venom, in case the big dolt didn't get it.

Much to her annoyance, that big dolt chuckled airily, as if she had told him the funniest joke in the world. He gazed at her with twinkling eyes, and he had the cheek to wink at her. "I don't know. Maybe he senses a kindred spirit in me?"

Somewhere in Agasa's mansion, Shinichi suddenly went into a coughing fit, much to his own annoyed confusion.

The heat in Haibara's glare was so intense Kaito was surprised he didn't combust on the spot. But Kaito wasn't deterred at all. There was no way he would be telling the little ojou-san his secret, thank you very much.

_But..._ he suddenly faltered, his gaze abruptly softening as he watched the faux girl casually sipping her coffee. I _know her secret. Her life is also at stake. It's only fair that I…_

"Ne, Ai-san," Kaito said brightly.

Haibara lifted unimpressed orbs of cold sapphire. _What?_

"Do you _really_ want to know why?"

The girl set down her coffee and arched a casual eyebrow at him.

Leaning forward and cupping a hand over his mouth as if he didn't want others to see his lips movement, he whispered, "Because, chibi ojou-san, Tantei-kun is actually the highlight of all my night performances."

He put a coy finger to his lips and winked.

A sharp intake of breath, and the eyes went a whole new level of large.

"_KID_?" She hissed.

Kaito, no, KID, smirked. "Guilty as charged."

Then Kaito saw something truly unexpected; ire.

"That… that _baka_!" Haibara was so angry her small body began to shake. "What the hell was he thinking; lowering himself to the likes of a _petty thief_ he swore to put behind bars come hell or high water?"

"Hey!" Kaito cut in sharply. He would not have her cussing Kudo like that. And he wasn't a petty thief, dammit! "Look, listen here carefully, Ai Haibara-san." Gone were the humor and cheerfulness from his voice. "I became KID the same reason you betrayed your own little club; _They_. _Killed_. _My_. _Father_." He drove each word home, twisting as many emotions as he could in every word.

He wasn't even sure if the Organization was responsible for his Father's untimely death, but he had to say it, to get his point across and to ensure her cooperation and understanding in his involvement in Kudo's mission for vengeance.

Ai-san flinched as though he had jabbed her physically with his finger.

"There you have it," Kaito finished with flourish. He collapsed against the comfy cushions, watching the minute scientist carefully.

Her face had gone white, and she looked almost… ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright," Kaito dismissed her apology with a careless grin. "I just thought you should know. We're in this together. Kudo said that he trusts you, and when he trusts you, _I_ trust _you_."

He made sure she heard the implications behind his words.

She wasn't stupid. She did, and Kaito knew she did because he saw her jerk slightly at the word '_trust_'.

"_Ehem!_"

The sound of someone rudely clearing his throat had Kaito bolted up from his seat and whirled around to face the intruder.

And he came face to face with himself.

He blinked, and realized that he was staring at Kudo Shinichi.

Kudo Shinichi.

Not Edogawa Conan.

He was staring at _Kudo Shinichi_.

How the hell…?

"Close your mouth, Kuroba," Shinichi snapped at him irritably. "You look like a fish out of the water."

_Ugh, fish…_ Kaito clicked his mouth close, glaring at the smirking teenage detective.

"No wonder people have been mistaking me as you," Kaito jabbed an accusing finger at the nonplussed teenager. "Because we look so frigging alike… it's creepy!"

"Hot damn you're slow," Shinichi smirked.

Kaito chose to ignore the remark. Instead he asked the burning question, "But… how?"

"Because I gave him a _temporary_ cure," Haibara replied, sliding off from the couch. "Despite my misgivings, he insisted on me giving him one." With this, she leveled Kudo with a frosty glare. "Remember Kudo, it is only _temporary_. First sign of pain, get out of sight immediately. No dilly-dallying. You wouldn't want to turn into Edogawa-kun in the public, now would you?"

"How long does he have?" Kaito wanted to know, all the while shooting a curiously concerned look at his newfound best friend.

"Half a day, probably even lesser than that," Haibara shrugged. "I repeat, Kudo-kun, first sign of pain, get out of sight _immediately_."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I got that the first time, Haibara."

"No vigorous movement, no straining of your body, not even to chase after criminals, Kudo-kun," the scientist prattled on. "Your heart and your transformed body won't be able to handle that extra strain. And absolutely no dying allowed. Who else is going to be my lab rat if you are no longer available?"

"Hai, hai," Shinichi sighed. "May we _please_ go now, Haibara-sensei? My time as Kudo Shinichi is short, you know, and I would love to spend as much time as possible as the real me before I return to my alter-ego pint-sized self!"

"Go," Haibara relented. "Oh, and Kuroba-san?"

Kaito saluted her smartly. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Please take care of Kudo-kun," Haibara shot a dark look of displeasure at the detective. "He is completely incapable of staying _out_ of trouble."

Kaito had to laugh at Kudo's affronted '_Hey!_'

"My pleasure, chibi ojou-san!" With that, he snagged on Kudo's arm and literally hauled him out of the house.

"Hey, slow down, Kuroba!" Shinichi screeched after being dragged for almost a mile. "And let me go, dammit!"

"You're right, Kudo," Kaito panted, glancing behind his shoulder at the direction of Agasa-hakase's mansion, where a certain mini scientist lived.

Kudo rolled his eyes as if saying, "_Aren't I always_?" Instead he asked, frowning. "About what?"

"That mini-woman is _creepy_!"

Shinichi shot the teen magician a look of pure disbelief, before erupting into laughter.

"See? I. Told. You. So."

* * *

><p>Woohoo! Finally done!<p>

At a sudden burst of inspiration I finally had gotten around to complete it!

Thank you so much for waiting. I know I have kept you waiting for soooooooo long! I'm so sorry!

Forgiveness?


End file.
